Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my first point of call would be to Arctic Energy Alliance who I know have struggled somewhat in the last couple years when we all saw a reduction in a fairly significant program from the federal government that's now been renewed for the next four years with even a little more than what we had before. So there is going to be more funding available through Arctic Energy Alliance. Whether it will necessarily suit the needs of communities in the way the Member's suggesting, I am not sure. I would suggest perhaps this is an occasion where I'd like to be able to provide a more thorough response or a written response just to make sure that we capture any available funding that is -- that we know of both within our government but also if there is an opportunity to point to funds existing with the federal government. I can say that the Tlicho government has certainly been leading in this respect, and I think they've sought some funds from the federal government. And I suppose the one that -- one last thing that comes to mind, Mr. Speaker, there is specifically a biomass program with some funding proposed in these main estimates. So there's a number of things; perhaps we'll put that in writing, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And just to note, we did hear from Arctic Energy Alliance this morning that, in fact, they do work with communities in terms of analyzing buildings and putting in sort of boilers but not so much on feasibility analysis around supplying or producing that energy, so that's a new opportunity. So and on that note, can the Minister tell us what additional support could be provided to Arctic Energy Alliance on specifically expanding trainings for biomass operators and maintainers at the local level? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I think I will be more succinct and just say this is a good opportunity for us to provide this response in writing. There are training opportunities through ITI, ECE, perhaps through MACA, NWTAC, and, again, I won't have all of those at my fingertips here, and I want to do my best to make sure we provide that information. It's important, and there are opportunities available in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to note the tone of frustration wasn't intended at the Minister directly. I was kind of -- justice Minister. I was just hoping, and I think MLA -- my MLA colleague was hoping for a simple yes, we'll attend, not this long government answer.
Mr. Speaker, on the same topic, my question for the -- general topic, that is, Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister respectfully is intended is this: Businesses are forced to deal with the cost of vandalism, shoplifting, etcetera, this is a cost passed on to the public. It's incurred the situation of hiring security guards and as such, the community is resolving the problem and it's hurting them hard. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Justice see a role for his department and some direction through the contract with the RCMP to find ways to bring a more stable and safe environment back to our community. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the Government of the Northwest Territories made significant investment within the RCMP contract program to ensure that we're getting all of the opportunities that we can to bring resources to the territory. There's been a significant number of items that have been added over the last number of years. We have general investigation section which has five investigators that are specifically dealing with fraud, controlled drugs and substances. We have added the special response unit. There's also the community policing officer which is a liaison with different communities. We've added the First Nations and Inuit policing program. So there are a number of commitments that we've made within that budget to ensure you are that the resources are there for the RCMP to provide that service to Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
And every one of those is to deal with serious crime, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, citizens are exhausted and not reporting crime on theft anymore, and they will say stats remain flat or stable, Mr. Speaker. The question specifically now is the fact that people are giving up on reporting crime because they feel the GNWT has directed the RCMP not to fully enforce the existence of the Criminal Code or even in some cases the Liquor Act provisions; is this correct, is it true or untrue? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will start off by saying I do not direct the RCMP to do anything. We provide a mandate to the RCMP with the priorities of this government for each year and what our expectations are, and the Criminal Code is -- and all of the laws that the RCMP enforce or investigate or act on is solely on the discretion of the RCMP. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, in a roundabout way, the Department of Justice used to support community initiatives such as Citizens on Patrol, Mr. Speaker. It was a program in collaboration with the RCMP. Would the Minister be willing to revisit this initiative that citizens appreciated where they felt like they were being part of the bigger community solution making our communities safe? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are currently running a pilot project in the community of Fort Liard, which is going to be evaluated. It's a community policing project. And as we look to this evaluation document, once it's completed, we're going to use that as a tool to approach the federal government to look at what resources could possibly be available for communities. I've heard this raised multiple times from small communities that they're looking for another presence within those communities. So this is a tool that we're going to use to look at how we can evaluate this and see how it can support other small communities in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next set of questions are for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. So also following up on my Member's statement, is the Minister aware of any feasibility or planning studies on how any of the wood harvested during FireSmarting operations could be used as heating fuel? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now I am not aware of any feasibility study that's currently being done in that regard. But what I can say is following the 2023 fire season, there was a significant amount of FireSmart work that was done across the territory, and the department worked very closely with communities to identify where that resource could be used, could be shared with communities for home heating, if there was any commercial interest in harvesting that wood from our local woodcutters, etcetera. So that conversation was had in many communities, and I think that, you know, as we look for mitigation opportunities going forward and fuel reductions around communities, I think that conversation will continue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so my next question is, is there any work being done within ECC's forest management division to analyze how active forest management, such as regular thinning, could be used to both prevent fires and provide a source of heating fuel for local communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I I don't have specifics, but I am aware that there is a significant amount of work being done in that area across Canada as well as within forest management division. Certainly looking at fuel, reduction fuel modification, fireguards, firebreaks as part of the work that is done through the FireSmart program, whether it be around community boundaries or within communities themselves, and certainly a big part of the approach that the department is taking to support that FireSmarting initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I am encouraged to hear that the Minister is at least interested in pursuing this more.
So my final question is, is there any joint work underway or being planned between ECC and the energy division within infrastructure to coordinate strategies around biomass heating and forest management? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am aware that our departments certainly are speaking as we're looking at combining the climate change action plan and energy action plan into one document. I don't have specifics that I can provide on the floor today, but I am certainly happy to get that information for the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I last asked about the Aspen Apartment in the last sitting, in October, and when residents would be moving in. I was told hopefully before Christmas however that's not come to pass. Can I please get an update from the Minister from Housing NWT when residents will be situated in Aspen. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Aspen Apartments, like I indicated earlier this week, there's been some electrical issues. Individual tenants would have their own power meters so they had to rework that out, and they were having issues with that, having tenants move over. That work has been done, and they're hoping to get them moved in over the next couple of weeks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, has the Housing NWT sorted out the priority lists for the folks who are moving if they are moving in in the next couple of weeks. I recognize that Aspen is mostly one bedrooms; are all the units going to be filled? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in Yellowknife we have over 300 families on the waitlist and we'll have to do some reassignments, but of course Aspen Apartments will be full. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Appreciate -- I would love to deliver two Member statements a day, but that would be a lot of work.
My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. And in the last sitting, I was asking questions about establishment of building standards legislation. I am just wondering, the Minister had committed to follow up on that, if the Minister has any updates on progress on that work with his department. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Infrastructure.
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the only update I have got is that we actually have slowed down on that work right now just because we've established priorities on working on legislation that they're related to the mandate essentially. Also, I mean, the work's still being done in the background, but it's just not a priority right now. And just maybe to add to that, I think there's more of a national view looking at this so we are going to continue working on it, just not at a priority pace right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was hoping for a walk forward as opposed to a walk back on this one. Last time we chatted about this, there was a commitment to get all the work in place so that we could be ready to quickly introduce legislation in the 21st Assembly. Can the Minister just confirm that getting the framework in place to do that is still on the table. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I would agree with that, and we're still going to continue working to have that for the 21st Assembly. But also just to be clear, I wouldn't say it's walking back. It's just walking a little slower, that's all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And can the Minister just give us an update as to what walking slowly exactly looks like? So just if I could get some details as to what work is actually being done. Any details would be helpful for the public to understand that this is moving forward. Certainly, I have constituents who are interested in seeing this move forward. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just follow me. No, I would just say that -- just to be clear with this, it's not that we're not working on it; it is being worked on. Again, we have legislative priorities that were put on the table essentially just to concentrate on, and that's what the department's been doing. So it's not that it's being neglected or wiped off the table or anything like that. We are working on it, and we'll continue to work on it, just not as fast as the Member had hoped and I would hope. Something we all want too. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, in speaking to the chief superintendent about one of the things that could help the Northwest Territories policing division, and not just in Yellowknife, although that's important to me, but all the territory at large, would be special constables. Now, we currently have at least one that I am aware of. Mr. Speaker, what is this government doing to support that need and request by RCMP of getting more special constables into our communities? Thank you.
Thank you, Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the request for resources from the department come through a process -- from the RCMP come through a process to the department. Those requests are evaluated and put forward as an ask. And so that specific item, I am not -- don't currently have information on any requests that may be outstanding but happy to get that information for the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will talk that offer. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister aware of the type of community policing that special constables provide outside of the regular standard RCMP officer. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not up to speed on the job description of a special constable. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In brief, they provide community policing almost identical to RCMP but they are a better -- a more direct resource from the community. So, Mr. Speaker, would the Minister be willing to meet with the RCMP directly, including with colleagues like myself and Mr. Testart, to talk more about how we can support this initiative in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
